Steam generator



1. F. LINDBERG.

STEAM GENERATOR.

APPLICATxoN men Nov.22.19.19.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

IIIIIII Ill 1. F. LINDBERG.v

STEAM GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.22,1919.

1,406,044, Patented` Feb. 7, 1922.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'1. F. LINDBERG.

STEAM GENERATOR..

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, I9I9.

mmm Feb. 7, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET n.

IIIII. III IIIINWNNMWNNYMNWS uli. In niunw IrVl UNITED STATES JOHN F.LINDBERG, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

. ksrEAili GENERATOR.

. SpecifcationofLetters Patent. y Patented Feb, 7, 1922.Av'pplicationi'led November 22, 1919. Serial No.339,972.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN` F.` LINDBERG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the lcounty of Cook and Stateof Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam Generators; and Ildo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactvdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled intheart to which it appertainsto make and use the same. l p v Thisinvention has for its object to provide an improved steam generator orwater heater, and has for its object to provide a simple and eflicientdevice of this character which will present a very large heating surfacein proportion to the volume of water space therein and whereinthe hotproducts of combustion will'be caused to pass successively in contactwith the heating surfaces in a general direction opposite to that inwhich the water or steam generated passes until' substantially all heathas Abeen absorbed from the hot products of combustion.

The invention yis intendedand adapted particularly for so-called`Ainstantaneous `water heaters and for that type of small steam'generators which arev particularly adapted for motor propelled vehiclesand similar high pressure installations wherein economy of weight andspace in proportion to power generated constitutes an important factor.

Suitable embodiments of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section o a water heater constructed inaccordance with the invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the saine with the outer` casing removed.

Fig.v 8 is a fragmentary detail plan section on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

Y Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view ofthe same. 45

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1,'illustrating the device embodied ina high pressure steam generator. l

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same. y

The Said water heater and steam generator comprises a plurality of pairsof lconcentric tubes of different diameters as, for example, the pairsof tubes 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. Between each pair of said tubesthere is provided an annular space 7, 8 and 9 respectively, throughwhich water is vand 12 for permitting adapted'to pass successively in'reverse of the order mentioned. The innermostoi` extreme inner tube 1 ispreferably slightly tapering so as to be of less diameter at its upperthan at' its lower end, whereby the inner extreme annular space isenlarged at its upper end portion for reasons which will be herein?-afterimore fully pointed out.

The tube 3 is of considerably larger diameter than the tube 2 so thatbetween the same there is provided an annular space 10, constitutlng aflue for hot roducts of combustion. A similarv flue 11 is providedbetween the tubes 4 and 5 and another flue, 12, is provided externallyof the tube 6 and inwardly of the circumferential wall 13 of the boilercasing.

All of said tubes are preferably made of equal length and at their endsare fitted into annular grooves in the boiler heads 14 and 15 preferablycomprising relatively heavy castings held in relative position upon thei ends of the several tubes 1 to 6 inclusive by means of the tensionbolts 16 in a wellknown manner. The said boiler heads 14 and 15 are, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, provided at regular intervals with arcuate slots17 registering with the several flues 10, 11

p hot products of combustion to enter and leave said Alues.

Alternated with the said arcuate slots 17 in the said heads 14 and 15are arcuate passages 18 connecting adjacent annular water spaces 7, 8and 9 with each other.Y The arrangement of said arcuate slots 17 andarcuate passages 18 in the respective heads 14 and 15 is such as topermit water entering the lower end of vthe extreme outerv annularchamber 9 tol Vflow upwardly through the same, thence over into theupper end of the annular chamber 8 and thence into the bottom of andAupwardly through theinner extreme annular chamber 7y from which it isexhaustedl through the 'inverted Y-shaped' outlet passage 19 in thehead- 14. Similarly, the arcuate'slots-l? in the headsy 14 and 15 arerelatively arrange-d so that hot products of combustion may pass fromthe top of the center flue 20formed within the tube 1, to pass into thetop of and downwardly through the flue 10, thence into` vthe bottom 'ofand upwardly through the flue 11 and thereafter downwardly through ltheflue 12 to a-suitable exhaust. i n

'Thefboiler casing 13 consists preferably of two concentric tubes ofdiiferent diameters 'provided with an .annular space therebeother. Thecentra-l portion of said plate or head 23 provides a substantiallycylindrical iiue 24 into and through which the Y.J'liaped outletpassa-ge 19 projects and tln'ough which the hot products: of combustionare adapted to pass from the ilue 2O into the flue 10. An annular wall24? separates the said ,central flue from the concentric outer flue 25through which the hot products of combustion are adapted to pass fromthe iue'1-1 into the flue 12. `The hollow space between .the head 23 andthe companion head 22 is also preferably filled with fire-proof.non-heat-conducting material, Y l

The said steam generator or water heater is preferably heated by meansof gaseous fuel suitably introduced through the nozzle or burner ,26,projecting into the lower end of the flue 20 or an extension thereof,consisting in the instance illustrated of acentral Aannular flange 27 ofthe head15. The latter isv provided with a iangeV 28 projectingdownwardly therefrom at a point between the arcuate slots 17communicating with the lower end of the lues 11 and 12 and which isconcentric with the iiange I27 so that hot products of combustion maypass from the lower end of the flue 10 intov the. lower end of the flue11 but not into said flue 1-2. A

.bottom plate 29 is provided which abuts 'against the lower end of thefiange V28 and itself provided with an annular edge iiange 30 adapted tobe bolted at its upper end to the outer flange 19a of the head 15 in anywell-known man-ner, whereby two annular concentric fines 31 and 32 areprovided below the head 15, The vflue 32 communicates with the suctionendof afblower or exhaust fan 33 shown in Fig. 1, whereby la constantdraft or Vacuum is maintained in the outlet end of the series of fluesand constant circulation of hot products of combustion Athrough thelatteris maintained. Y

Water to be heated or converted intosteam is introduced into the lowerend of the annular water space 9 through the pipe 34 connecting with asuitable source of supply and Vprojecting'through the annular flue 32.

The construction illustrated inl Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive is well adaptedfor water heating installations where the normal water pres sure only ismaintained and where itis not 'desired to generate steam. underpressure.

Leak-proof joints may readily be formed between the ends of the severaltubes and the heads 14: and. 1 5 in any suitable manner, and, the volumeof the water spaces 7, 8, and 9 may be regulated as desired incomparison with the sizes of the flues 10, 11 and 12 to heat the watercirculating through the space-s 7, 8 and 9 with any desired degreeo-f'rapid- Y ity tothe desired lmaximum temperature.

Heaters of the type commonly called in stantaneous are usually equippedwith suitable means for regulating the yalve controlling the supply ofgaseous Yfuel to regulate the maximum temperature to whichthe water maybe heated, and any suitable means .of this nature maybe used in connec-ftion with my 'heater without departing from the invention. l

-llVhere the device is intendedfor rapid high pressure steam generation,it is pre-ff erably constructed as shown inV Figs. 5 and 6, wherein thepairs of tubes 35 and'36, 37

and 38, and -39 and 40 areV respectively eX- panded and contracted attheir ends to cause them tomeet as shown and they are then weldedtogether. Adjacent annular Ywater chambers ,41, L12 and 43 thus Vformedare connected together by means of short arcuate tubes 44, communicatingwith the upper ends of opposed faces of the tubes 38 and 39 and thelower ends of tubes 87 and 36, and are welded a-t'their ends to 'saidtubes so as to provide joints which will withstand eX- Ycessive high'pressure. The openings between contiguous tubes 44 will constitute the.equivalents of the arcuate slots 17 of `the heads 14 and 15 to permitcirculation lofhot products of combustion'through the dues. -Inall otherrespects the construction and relative arrangementof parts of the boileris substantially identical with thatshown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive,s othat further tailed description is superiiuous.

Obviously, the number .of pairs ,ofcon-V centric tubes or annular waterchambers and the number of annular flues alternating 'therewith may bechanged and varied as desiredfwithout departing from the invention asdefined in the appended claims. lIt will alsobe apparent that while theexhaust fan 33 is preferable, any other suitable means for creating andmaintaining a relatively constant draft at `the discharge end .of thevoutermost annular fines may be substitutedfor said exhaust'fan, theinvention-compra to substantially Vsuper-,heat the-steam beforev itleaves the boiler.

connection between one of the extreme chambers with a source of Waterand bctween the other extreme chamber and a discharge, the last-namedchamber being of lalger cross-sectional area at its discharge en portionthan at its inlet end portion, a source of heat and an exhaust for hotproducts of combustion located respectively proximately to the dischargeand the connection with the source of Water, and means associated withsaid Water chambers for effecting flow of hot gases from the source ofheat successively through said ues to the exhaust and in-a generaldirection opposite to the general direction of How of the water.

JoHN F. LINDBERG.

